What Traveling At Light Speed Would Really Look Like
- domdabears
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- Posts: 13508
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- Location: Chicago
Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:57 pm » by domdabears
An example of how the the films suggest hyperspace travel would look like.
Credit: University of Leicester
As the hyperdrive is engaged, every star in the sky is seen to stretch before the characters’ eyes as the ship speeds through the galaxy.
The four students - Riley Connors, Katie Dexter, Joshua Argyle, and Cameron Scoular – have shown that this would not be the case.
What University of Leicester physics students suggest hyperspace travel would really look like.
There would be no sign of stars because of the Doppler effect - the same effect which causes the siren of an ambulance to become higher in pitch as it comes towards you.
Doppler blue shift is a phenomenon caused by a source of electromagnetic radiation – including visible light - moving towards an observer.
The effect means that the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation will be shortened.
From the Millennium Falcon crew’s point of view, the wavelength of the light from stars will decrease and ‘shift’ out of the visible spectrum into the X-ray range.
They would simply see a central disc of bright light as Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation is shifted into the visible spectrum.
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation is radiation left behind from the Big Bang, and is spread across the universe fairly uniformly.
The group found after further investigation that the intense X-rays from stars would push the ship back, causing it to slow down. The pressure felt by the ship would be comparable to that felt at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Their calculations also show that Han would need to store extra amounts of energy on his ship to overcome this pressure in order to continue on his journeys.
Riley Connors, 21, from Milton Keynes, said: “If the Millennium Falcon existed and really could travel that fast, sunglasses would certainly be advisable. On top of this, the ship would need something to protect the crew from harmful X-ray radiation.”
Joshua Argyle, 22, from Leicester, added: “The resultant effects we worked out were based on Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity, so while we may not be used to them in our daily lives, Han Solo and his crew should certainly understand its implications.”
Katie Dexter, 21, from Kettering, concluded: “Perhaps Disney should take the physical implications of such high speed travel into account in their forthcoming films.”
Course leader Dr Mervyn Roy, a lecturer at the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: “A lot of the papers published in the Journal are on subjects that are amusing, topical, or a bit off-the-wall. Our fourth years are nothing if not creative! But, to be a research physicist - in industry or academia - you need to show some imagination, to think outside the box, and this is certainly something that the module allows our students to practice.
“Most of our masters students hope to go on to careers in research where a lot of their time will be taken up with scientific publishing - writing and submitting papers, and writing and responding to referee reports.
“This is another area where the module really helps. Because Physics Special Topics is run exactly like a professional journal, the students get the chance to develop all the skills they will need when dealing with high profile journals later on in life.”
You can read the full papers here: https://physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index ... ew/549/360
And here: https://physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index ... ew/575/386
The latest issue of the University of Leicester’s Journal of Physics Special Topics can be found here: https://physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index ... ue/current
Credit: University of Leicester
As the hyperdrive is engaged, every star in the sky is seen to stretch before the characters’ eyes as the ship speeds through the galaxy.
The four students - Riley Connors, Katie Dexter, Joshua Argyle, and Cameron Scoular – have shown that this would not be the case.
What University of Leicester physics students suggest hyperspace travel would really look like.
There would be no sign of stars because of the Doppler effect - the same effect which causes the siren of an ambulance to become higher in pitch as it comes towards you.
Doppler blue shift is a phenomenon caused by a source of electromagnetic radiation – including visible light - moving towards an observer.
The effect means that the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation will be shortened.
From the Millennium Falcon crew’s point of view, the wavelength of the light from stars will decrease and ‘shift’ out of the visible spectrum into the X-ray range.
They would simply see a central disc of bright light as Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation is shifted into the visible spectrum.
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation is radiation left behind from the Big Bang, and is spread across the universe fairly uniformly.
The group found after further investigation that the intense X-rays from stars would push the ship back, causing it to slow down. The pressure felt by the ship would be comparable to that felt at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Their calculations also show that Han would need to store extra amounts of energy on his ship to overcome this pressure in order to continue on his journeys.
Riley Connors, 21, from Milton Keynes, said: “If the Millennium Falcon existed and really could travel that fast, sunglasses would certainly be advisable. On top of this, the ship would need something to protect the crew from harmful X-ray radiation.”
Joshua Argyle, 22, from Leicester, added: “The resultant effects we worked out were based on Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity, so while we may not be used to them in our daily lives, Han Solo and his crew should certainly understand its implications.”
Katie Dexter, 21, from Kettering, concluded: “Perhaps Disney should take the physical implications of such high speed travel into account in their forthcoming films.”
Course leader Dr Mervyn Roy, a lecturer at the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: “A lot of the papers published in the Journal are on subjects that are amusing, topical, or a bit off-the-wall. Our fourth years are nothing if not creative! But, to be a research physicist - in industry or academia - you need to show some imagination, to think outside the box, and this is certainly something that the module allows our students to practice.
“Most of our masters students hope to go on to careers in research where a lot of their time will be taken up with scientific publishing - writing and submitting papers, and writing and responding to referee reports.
“This is another area where the module really helps. Because Physics Special Topics is run exactly like a professional journal, the students get the chance to develop all the skills they will need when dealing with high profile journals later on in life.”
You can read the full papers here: https://physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index ... ew/549/360
And here: https://physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index ... ew/575/386
The latest issue of the University of Leicester’s Journal of Physics Special Topics can be found here: https://physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index ... ue/current
- WillEase666
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- Posts: 5453
- Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 3:24 pm
Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:09 pm » by WillEase666
This is only speculative. Until such time that traveling light speed is achieved, I prefer a trippy kaleidoscope color filled worm hole to the boring white spot our young minds conceptualize.
Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:39 pm » by Noentry
i have contemplated on breaking the light speed barrier and what would it be like?
Einstien linked the speed of light with time.
Time travel has been explained as a result of FTLS.
In my mind, time is the force that separates the whole into slices, each slice leading to the other.
The Planck Length of Quantum Foam are the slices( the frames on a film ). If we pass the speed of light we are no longer part of this slicing of the whole and exist in a dimension above time(where info is stored). I theorize we would exist everywhere/as the whole no longer individuals, we are no longer part of time, no longer linear, time and infinite individual choice becomes irrelevant.
Can man exist with out time? As a material linear being, I lean to NO.
What would happen to existence?
I think existence would all become one big blur too.
Einstien linked the speed of light with time.
Time travel has been explained as a result of FTLS.
In my mind, time is the force that separates the whole into slices, each slice leading to the other.
The Planck Length of Quantum Foam are the slices( the frames on a film ). If we pass the speed of light we are no longer part of this slicing of the whole and exist in a dimension above time(where info is stored). I theorize we would exist everywhere/as the whole no longer individuals, we are no longer part of time, no longer linear, time and infinite individual choice becomes irrelevant.
Can man exist with out time? As a material linear being, I lean to NO.
What would happen to existence?
I think existence would all become one big blur too.
"The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority.
The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority.
The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking."
A. A. Milne
The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority.
The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking."
A. A. Milne
- WillEase666
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- Posts: 5453
- Joined: Sun May 20, 2012 3:24 pm
Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:43 pm » by WillEase666
Noentry wrote:i have contemplated on breaking the light speed barrier and what would it be like?
Einstien linked the speed of light with time.
Time travel has been explained as a result of FTLS.
In my mind, time is the force that separates the whole into slices, each slice leading to the other.
The Planck Length of Quantum Foam are the slices( the frames on a film ). If we pass the speed of light we are no longer part of this slicing of the whole and exist in a dimension above time(where info is stored). I theorize we would exist everywhere/as the whole no longer individuals, we are no longer part of time, no longer linear, time and infinite individual choice becomes irrelevant.
Can man exist with out time? As a material linear being, I lean to NO.
What would happen to existence?
I think existence would all become one big blur too.
deep
Fri Jan 18, 2013 10:58 pm » by Noentry
WillEase666 wrote:Noentry wrote:i have contemplated on breaking the light speed barrier and what would it be like?
Einstien linked the speed of light with time.
Time travel has been explained as a result of FTLS.
In my mind, time is the force that separates the whole into slices, each slice leading to the other.
The Planck Length of Quantum Foam are the slices( the frames on a film ). If we pass the speed of light we are no longer part of this slicing of the whole and exist in a dimension above time(where info is stored). I theorize we would exist everywhere/as the whole no longer individuals, we are no longer part of time, no longer linear, time and infinite individual choice becomes irrelevant.
Can man exist with out time? As a material linear being, I lean to NO.
What would happen to existence?
I think existence would all become one big blur too.
deep
Will thanks.
"The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority.
The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority.
The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking."
A. A. Milne
The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority.
The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking."
A. A. Milne
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